Joseph Caldarera of Annadale was a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School when he met then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan in 2009. The two shared a moment together when Dolan was named a Cardinal last month in Rome. They were fortunate to meet again as Caldarera is spending the semester in Italy.
(Photo Courtesy of Joseph Caldarera)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - ANNADALE - Joseph Caldarera Jr. hadn't seen former New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan in more than two years until Dolan spotted Caldarera on a Saturday in February.

It wasn't just any Saturday in February. It was the day Dolan would be elevated to cardinal in St. Peter's Basilica in Italy by Pope Benedict XVI.

"I had not seen the cardinal for two years and assumed that he would not remember me," said Caldarera, of Annadale. "As soon as he saw me, he walked up to me and greeted me with a huge hug!"

"Giuseppe! So good to see you. Thank you so much for coming here for me. I am touched," the cardinal said to Caldarera.

They spoke for some 15 minutes about things going on in their lives.

"I then told him that 'There would be no greater thrill for my two Italian Catholic grandmothers than for a picture with New York's new Cardinal,'" said Caldarera. "He chuckled and warmly posed for a picture with me. I told him that red was really his color. He again thanked me for coming, and then moved on to his other guests."

The two first met when Caldarera was a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School, Oakwood, in 2009. The young man, president of his class and a reporter for the Farrell television station, spent an hour with Dolan as lead interviewer for the in-school TV network.

Cardinal Dolan, then only an archbishop, offered to assist Caldarera with college recommendation letters. He called the student two days later to inform him that Caldarera's letters would be ready by the end of the week.

Several months later, while at the St. Patrick's Day parade, Caldarera got a surprise greeting from Dolan when he approached him in the middle of the street.

"Even though the parade was five months after we had last spoken, he still remembered my name and our relationship," said Caldarera, now a sophomore at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., studying government and international politics. He plans on attending law school in 2014 and aspires to make a difference on Staten Island through politics.

This semester, Caldarera is studying abroad in Florence, Italy. As an Italian-American with heavy ancestral ties to Italy, Caldarera wanted to experience his family's background.

"My family has a very strong Italian culture, and it was important for me to be able to go back to the old country, and to see where this culture derives from," he said, noting that during his two months in Italy, his Italian language proficiency is improving notably.

"Of course, being an international relations major, seeing things from an international perspective is very important to me, and is something that I can get while overseas," Caldarera said.

Italy is beautiful, and the food, music, artwork and people have been amazing, he said. He added that people know how to experience a little bit of beauty in everything they do.

"On Staten Island, many times we have a very one-sided way of thinking and of seeing the world. Being able to go across the world, and see the way other people think and act is very important, especially for someone who wants to have a career in politics," he said.

His trip to Italy is one that Caldarera will never forget, especially since he bumped into an old friend.

"It was a huge thrill to be able to be there for the Cardinal and to be able to represent Staten Island at such a special event," he added.